Ivo Škrabalo (; 19 February 1934 – 18 September 2011) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: Academic criticism by film scholars, who study the composition of film theory and publish their findin ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

, and member of parliament. Škrabalo was born in

Sombor Sombor ( sr-Cyrl, Сомбор, ; ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the West Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. The city has a total population of 41,814 (), while its adminis ...

, where he finished elementary and high school before moving to

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

in 1952. He enrolled at the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

's Faculty of Law and earned an MSc in

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

, with a doctoral thesis on the creation of

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. He also studied at the Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art and graduated from its film directing department. Škrabalo then worked as a

dramaturge A dramaturge or dramaturg (from Ancient Greek δραματουργός – dramatourgós) is a literary adviser or editor in a theatre, opera, or film company who researches, selects, adapts, edits, and interprets scripts, libretti, texts, and pr ...

at Zagreb-based film studios

Zagreb Film Zagreb Film is a Croatian film company principally known for its animation studio. From Zagreb, it was founded in 1953. They have produced hundreds of animated films, as well as documentaries, television commercials, educational films and several ...

(1958–1962) and Jadran Film (1964–1967) and was later hired as an advisor at

Croatia Film Croatia Film d.o.o. (formerly Croatia Film d.d.) is a state-owned film production and distribution company based in Zagreb, Croatia. It began operations in 1946. The company produced the region's only animated features to date during the 1980s and ...

in the late 1960s. He directed a number of

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

s and wrote or co-wrote several screenplays for feature films including the 1970 comedy classic ''

One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away ''One Song a Day Takes Mischief Away'' ( ) is a 1970 Croatian comedy-drama film. Directed by Krešo Golik and based on a novella by , the film achieved considerable critical and commercial success at the time of its release. In 1999, a poll of C ...

''. Škrabalo was also a prolific film critic and he made significant contributions to film publications published by the

Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography ( or LZMK) is Croatia's national lexicographical institution. Based in Zagreb, it was established in 1950 as the national lexicographical institute of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...

. He also authored four books about the history of Croatian cinema, including his seminal work ''101 Years of Film in Croatia 1896–1997'' published in 1998. He also gained some fame for quirky translations of titles of imported pornographic films which entered nationwide distribution in Yugoslavia in the 1980s. In the early 1990s Škrabalo became involved in politics. Between 1991 and 1992 he briefly a senior post in the

ministry of culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

in the

national unity government A national unity government, government of national unity (GNU), or national union government is a broad coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the legislature, usually formed during a time of war or other na ...

led by Prime Minister

Franjo Gregurić Franjo Gregurić (; born 12 October 1939) is a Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from July 1991 to September 1992, leading a national unity government at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. Gregurić was ...

, and was elected to the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament () or the Sabor is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Croatia. Under the terms of the Constitution of Croatia, Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the nation, people and is vested with legislative power. ...

twice – from 1992 to 1995 he served as member of the

Croatian Social Liberal Party The Croatian Social Liberal Party ( or HSLS) is a conservative-liberal political party in Croatia. The HSLS were established in May 1989 in Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#Li ...

(HSLS) and from 2000 to 2003 as member of its short-lived splinter party

LIBRA Libra generally refers to: * Libra (constellation), a constellation * Libra (astrology), an astrological sign based on the star constellation Libra may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Libra'' (novel), a 1988 novel by Don DeLillo Musi ...

which later merged into the Croatian People's Party. He was one of the mayors proposed by the opposition and rejected by President

Franjo Tuđman Franjo Tuđman (14 May 1922 – 10 December 1999) was a Croatian politician and historian who became the first president of Croatia, from 1990 until his death in 1999. He served following the Independence of Croatia, country's independe ...

during the 1995–1997 Zagreb crisis. Scientist and diplomat Zdenko Škrabalo was his older brother.

References

External links

Umro Ivo Škrabalo, istaknuti filmski kritičar, scenarist i saborski zastupnik
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skrabalo, Ivo 1934 births 2011 deaths Politicians from Sombor Film people from Zagreb Croats of Vojvodina Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb alumni Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb alumni Croatian film directors Croatian film critics Croatian Social Liberal Party politicians Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament Party of Liberal Democrats politicians Serbian emigrants to Croatia Croatian screenwriters Writers from Sombor Politicians from Zagreb